Ottawa Redblacks Thread

[jerrym]

Ottawa has released kicker Chris Milo.

Chris Milo, released by #Redblacks: "I knew they weren't happy with me, I knew they thought I wasn't consistent enough." #CFL

— Tim Baines (@TimCBaines) February 14, 2017

[jerrym]

Former Redblacks QB Henry Burris discussed CFL free agency & what Ottawa has done on the first day on The Drive. He mentioned that QB Trevor Harris offensive coordinator Elizondo wanted Diontae Spencer and Kenny Shaw.

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/ottawa-1200/...rseys-1.671758

[jerrym]

#Redblacks GM on cutting Damaso Munoz: The Damaso thing was initially more of a Nolan MacMillan move ... "

— Tim Baines (@TimCBaines) February 15, 2017

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confirmed @REDBLACKS and RB Pascal Lochard have agreed to terms @cfl #cfl

— gary lawless (@garylawless) February 15, 2017

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GM Marcel Desjardins comments on RedBlacks signings.

"We were able to secure most of the guys we wanted."@REDBLACKSGM talks his team's success on #CFLFA.#RNation pic.twitter.com/qYxKOWXF18

— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) February 15, 2017

[jerrym]

Quite a different story than in Toronto.

3⃣ key re-signings
6⃣ exciting additions

How'd @Twitter react to the #REDBLACKS #CFLFA success?

FIND OUT ➡️ https://t.co/o9qexdyiGQ#CFL pic.twitter.com/TK2qf24ss2

— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) February 16, 2017

[1971GreyCup]

I watch on in complete awe of the RedBlacks operations. Community awareness takes another giant leap forward. Bell Media station.

Everyone knows abipout the RedBlacks in Ottawa and sellouts follow.

TWEET: #BREAKING: @HenryBurris is the new co-host on CTV Morning Live. Henry starts Tuesday, February 21 at 6 a.m. #ottnews #ottawa

[jerrym]

I watch on in complete awe of the RedBlacks operations. Community awareness takes another giant leap forward. Bell Media station.

Everyone knows abipout the RedBlacks in Ottawa and sellouts follow.

TWEET: #BREAKING: @HenryBurris is the new co-host on CTV Morning Live. Henry starts Tuesday, February 21 at 6 a.m. #ottnews #ottawa

Perhaps the Argo management could learn something if they studied how the RedBlacks have succeeded.

[jerrym]

Wayne Scanlan examines the Redblacks situation following the Grey Cup and free agency. The latter involves a lot of faces familiar to Argos.

Just this past week, Desjardins said goodbye to:

• Receiver Ernest Jackson, who caught the winning touchdown in overtime of the Grey Cup game.
• Kienan Lafrance, the Canadian running back who warmed Ottawa hearts in a wild CFL East Final, coming off the bench to rush for 157 yards and a vital touchdown in the driving snow.
• Chris Williams, one of Ottawa’s 1,000-yard receivers and a kick returner.
• All-star defensive back Abdul Kanneh. Plus his dreadlocks.
• And several more players including kicker Chris Milo and tailback Trevon Van, linebacker Damaso Munoz . . .

Legendary CFL quarterback Henry Burris retired last month and will be smiling on CTV Morning Live instead of on the Redblacks sidelines.

So much for the warm afterglow of Ottawa’s first Grey Cup title since 1976.
But here’s the thing. Desjardins, who built a championship roster in three years, has suitable replacements for these players, including two receivers from the Toronto Argos (Diontae Spencer and Kenny Shaw) who caught passes for Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris when Harris was an Argo. In 2016 Shaw was a 1,000-yard man on a very dysfunctional Argos team while Spencer hit the 700-yard mark in just 12 games played. Spencer and Shaw are both kick returners, meaning Ottawa won’t have to dress a return specialist. A.J. Jefferson, also a decent returner, is a cornerback from the Argos to help fill the void of Kanneh and linebacker Khalil Bass from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is a motivated replacement for Munoz.
“It’s not fun in the sense that we owe a lot to all of these guys, we really do,” Desjardins says of the departures, nearly all to free agency. “But you’ve got to turn the page.” Most fans understand the realities of the CFL fuel February movement around the cozy nine-team league. Others, Desjardins admits, “don’t understand why we would let somebody go after he scored the game-winning touchdown in the Grey Cup game.” It’s a question of priorities. American receivers and running backs come and go in waves. Canadian offensive linemen are precious and limited in supply. Desjardins and his staff felt it was imperative to get Nolan MacMillan of Arnprior re-signed to maintain domestic depth on the O-line. Priorities, according to Desjardins, involve the age and ability of a player, but also how the loss or gain of an individual will impact the overall roster.
The retirement of Burris wasn’t a big saving because Harris was already signed on as the starter for next season. Burris left some backup QB money on the table that will go to someone else. The Redblacks had targeted quarterback Jeff Mathews of the Hamilton Ticats, but he signed with the Argos.
Hockey teams love to reward loyalty. Championship clubs try to bring their players back, with raises, until the salary cap bursts. (Chicago is one franchise that is forever winning, then losing valuable assets due to cap issues).
There is less room for loyalty — either way— in the CFL. Players target free agency to make a little money before their short-lived careers play out.

http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...hampagne-party

[jerrym]

Another review by Gord Holder of the Redblacks after four days of free agency:

Option A: The Ottawa Redblacks are in fantastic shape at the end of the opening week of Canadian Football League free agency and are destined to repeat as Grey Cup champions.
Option B: The Redblacks have been hit hard by free agency and have no shot at a second consecutive title.
Option C: The Redblacks are in decent shape, somewhere between those extremes. Most roster positions remain reasonably well-stocked, although the rebuilt defensive secondary remains something of a question since both starting halfbacks, Abdul Kanneh and Forrest Hightower, and cornerback Mitchell White must be replaced.
“We have signed guys that we’re familiar with, obviously, from the NFL or other CFL teams and whatnot,” Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins said Friday. “But, just as importantly, we have Nick Taylor back. We have Imoan Claiborne, who played some games (in 2016). We may go with Jerrell (Gavins) there, depending on how it all plays out. Then we have Keelan Johnson, who might be able to fill a role back there. “It doesn’t seem as desperate, maybe, as some people may think.” Overall, the Redblacks should have back seven of the 12 defensive starters from the Grey Cup game against the Calgary Stampeders, including three down linemen, two linebackers, cornerback Jonathan Rose and safety Antoine Pruneau. A.J. Jefferson and Khalil Bass, both signed this week, are the likely candidates to take over from White and linebacker Damaso Munoz, who was released. ...

The outside pass-rush threat the Redblacks didn’t possess last season remains lacking and Desjardins acknowledges such a player almost certainly won’t be found among the collection of CFL free agents, so the hope once again is that a newcomer to the league or someone from the practice squad might flourish if given the opportunity.
On offence, the Redblacks should bring back seven of 12 Grey Cup starters, but you can finagle that that number to eight by adding fullback Patrick Lavoie in place of one of the receivers, to nine with part-time 2016 starter Trevor Harris in at quarterback for the retired Henry Burris and to 11 with others who started in 2015-16, but missed all or part of last season because of injury: the tailback duo of William Powell and Mossis Madu and tackle SirVincent Rogers, the CFL’s top offensive lineman in 2015. ...
“Offensively, we’re very comfortable with (the current situation),” Desjardins said.
One sure thing is that the Redblacks are done or close to it regarding CFL free agency for this year. Besides Jefferson and White, they signed receivers Diontae Spencer and Kenny Shaw, linebacker Ron Omara, defensive back Adam Berger and, on Friday, running back Pascal Lochard. ...
Significant re-signings before Tuesday’s deadline included Pruneau, Gavins, linebacker Taylor Reed, defensive lineman Connor Williams, offensive guard Nolan MacMillan and wide receiver Greg Ellingson.
With tailback Travon Van and defensive end Aston Whiteside (both Edmonton), Kanneh (Hamilton) and receiver Ernest Jackson (Montreal) already finding new CFL homes, the remaining ex-Redblacks on the market comprise offensive guard J’Micheal Deane, receivers Khalil Paden and Scott Macdonell, quarterback Danny O’Brien, defensive tackle Moton Hopkins and kick returners Jamill Smith and Tristan Jackson.
Would the Redblacks consider circling back to any of them? “I don’t think so, no,” Desjardins said. “Again, I won’t say no, but, based on what the asks were before, in terms of financially, no. If that changes and they reach out, then potentially.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...of-free-agency

[jerrym]

Despite a respectable 600 yards gained in his 2012 rookie season with Hamilton, its been a downhill tale for Chevon Walker since then to the point where is pretty much out of football at 29: a not unusual tale in football, especially for International RBs.

For much of Chevon Walker’s adult life, it’s been Eat, Sleep, Play Football. Repeat.

Football was — and maybe still is — his life.
He got paid for running fast and scoring touchdowns. There’s no bitterness for Walker, who’s been released by four teams since his 2012 CFL rookie season in Hamilton.
But when you wear shoulder pads and a helmet for so long, when you get the adrenaline rush that goes with carrying a football into the end zone, it’s tough to say goodbye.
“I wouldn’t say I gave up on football, I’d say football gave up on me,” he said. “Ottawa released me, I went to Winnipeg. I don’t know what happened. I’m still in shape, I’m still training, I’m still doing what I need to do. If I get a phone call tomorrow, saying, ‘Chevy, we want to work you out,’ I want to be ready.
“I’ve never given up. I may be 29, but I still have a lot in the tank. I haven’t played in the past year-and-a-half, there’s still ability there.”
Yet he’s accepted that phone call may never come. He doesn’t get his hopes up. And now he’s doing a different kind of shaking and baking — in a kitchen.
After being enrolled for a semester in culinary training at Algonquin College, Walker started working at Gezellig, one of the city’s top-rated restaurants, in Westboro Village, on Richmond Rd.
“I couldn’t sit around and do nothing, wondering what’s next. That’s why it was important to move on and find something else,” said Walker. “Cooking has always been something I saw myself doing. Working in a restaurant, I draw a comparison to football: It’s a team effort. For a chef to be a great chef, you have to have a great team. ...


In 2012, Walker burst on to the scene, carrying the ball 118 times for 656 yards. It seemed to signal a bright future. But in 2013, his work load was diminished and he was left unprotected in the expansion draft, grabbed by the Redblacks. It was a fresh start.
In 2014, he scored four touchdowns — with 101 carries for 458 yards and another 22 receptions for 231 yards. He broke his left arm after being drilled in a game against B.C. in September.
In 2015, he had 287 yards rushing on 78 carries in Ottawa. On Aug. 28, he was released, told by the Redblacks they were going to go with Jeremiah Johnson as their starting running back. Just like that, Walker was again out of a job.
“They told me Jeremiah was a better fit,” said Walker. “The said, ‘We don’t feel like you’re doing the things we need you to do.’

http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/02/19/...fb3142ef229cc6

[jerrym]

Ottawa's signing of QB Drew Tate gives them a CFL experienced backup at the small cost of a fifth round draft choice on a team that only had Brock Jensen and former NFLer Ryan Lindley behind former Argo Trevor Harris with the retirement of Henry Burris. RedBlack HC Campbell's time as an assistant coach in Calgary helped bring about the deal.

The deal began to take shape when the Stampeders approached Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins last Friday.
“Calgary asked if we had interest,” Desjardins said. “And, yeah, we found the right price. We had to renegotiate his contract, which we did on the weekend.
“He’s eager to come to Ottawa and contribute. He’s a guy who has proven he can start in this league. He can do a lot of things, he knows the league, knows the personnel, has a relationship with our head coach and knows his role — coming in as the backup. All of those things are very positive. He’s proven he can win football games. We’re in a much better place than we were at the end of last week so we’re happy.”
For Tate, there were many things working in Ottawa’s favour, including the head coach, Rick Campbell, who previously worked in Calgary.
“The thing I loved most about Coach Campbell was he was the same every single day,” Tate said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face change, other than when he smiles. One of the things I was drawn to about him was football was a family business for him — his dad was a coach, my dad’s a coach. I have so much respect for what he’s done — going from where the team was in 2014 to what they’ve done in the past two years.
“Ottawa is a gorgeous city. I stayed with Brad for a couple of days in the off-season. Plus, I believe the Redblacks have the best football facility in the league, hands down.”
Tate said he had a feeling his days in Calgary were numbered. Postmedia’s Scott Mitchell reported Tate was due to receive a $40,000 bonus on March 1. However it shook out during the contract negotiation, it’s believed that bonus money is now not part of the deal.
“Calgary didn’t want to pay me,” Tate said. “I understand that. It’s business. I had a feeling something was probably going to happen, whether they were going to cut me or trade me.”
Moving to Ottawa also brings his girlfriend Nicole, who’s from Cape Breton, considerably closer to home.
And it gives the Redblacks more clarity as they move into the post-Henry Burris era. With four quarterbacks signed — former NFLer Ryan Lindley and Brock Jensen are also on the roster — the Redblacks are open to bringing a fifth one to camp. It looks Danny O’Brien, who spent three years with the Redblacks, will not be returning.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/02/21/...n-qb-drew-tate

[jerrym]

Offensive coordinator Jamie Elizondo comments on the trade for QB Drew Tate.

"He's smart and cerebral. His skill set and experience will add great depth."@CoachElizondo on what Drew Tate brings to #Ottawa.#RNation pic.twitter.com/mjF2Mh9WWy

— Ottawa REDBLACKS (@REDBLACKS) February 21, 2017

[jerrym]

Rumours that National free agent Scott MacDonell could resign with the RedBlacks.

Hearing rumblings that the @REDBLACKS are bringing back receiver @ScottieMac84. #CFL

— Tim Baines (@TimCBaines) February 21, 2017

[jerrym]

.@REDBLACKSGM confirms 2 years have been added to QB Drew Tate's deal. #CFL #Redblacks via @TSN1200

— CFL News (@CFL_News) February 21, 2017

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Ottawa has signed DL Michael Wakefield who went to TC with the Washington Redskins last year.

http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/playe...ael-wakefield/

[jerrym]

RB?KR Darius Hammond has signed with the Redblacks, whose 33.7 yards/return suggest he has burner speed.

They really like my return skills and the skills I have in the backfield,” Hammond told HERO Sports Thursday morning. “But I also think they like that off the field I bring a positive attitude and I’m pretty fun to be around. I hope to bring a great energy to the team. I’m really just looking to get on the field no matter what I play. Whatever the coaches say, I’ll do it, and I’ll gain some professional football experience from this situation.”
Hammond averaged a Big South single-season record 33.7 yards per return in 2016, and was 23rd in the country this year in all-purpose yards.

http://herosports.com/news/darius-ha...n-fcs-football

[jerrym]

Tim Baines discusses how the "chaos" in Toronto has helped the Redblacks recruit three Argo stars.

http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/foot...s-hits-toronto

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Former Argo Kenny Shaw discusses his free agent signing with Ottawa in the podcast below.


http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2017/...g-for-rnation/

[jerrym]

Former Ottawa Rough Rider Rick Sowieta is recovering in hospital after a procedure to treat aggressive pancreatic cancer.
After going public with his battle, the Ottawa football and restaurant communities – both of which Rick has been a big part of over the years – quickly mobilized to lend a hand. A fundraising campaign was soon launched to help the Sowietas travel to Germany for the specialized procedure called Irreversible Electroporation, also known as IRE or Nanoknife.
The response shattered the family’s fundraising goal of $65,000, with more than $82,500 raised so far.
Sowieta, who played seven of his 10 CFL seasons for Ottawa, had the surgery to treat the stage three cancer on February 23 and his family posted an update this week, saying the procedure went well and the surgeon, Dr. Mathias Birth out of Stralsund, Germany, was “very optimistic.”
“The operation took almost 5 hours of moving and repositioning the probes in order to cover the whole tumor,” Rick’s wife, Jen Kavanagh, wrote in the update. “The first few days of recovery have taken a toll on Rick but he is staying strong and sleeping whenever he can. The medical team is excellent and Rick just came back from a cat scan. We should get the results quickly, if everything goes well Rick will be out of here soon.”

http://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2017/...reatic-cancer/